Plaque with Saint Paul

Plaque with Saint Paul

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The typical image of Saint Paul—with a long face, receding hairline, and pointed beard—was established during the first centuries of the Christian church. Here Paul holds a book, an appropriate symbol for the author of many of the texts of the New Testament. This plaque and the one showing Saint Peter under a similar arch may have flanked a lost central panel depicting Christ, as parts of an icon, or religious devotional image.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Plaque with Saint PaulPlaque with Saint PaulPlaque with Saint PaulPlaque with Saint PaulPlaque with Saint Paul

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.